The Dead
by 890X
Summary: In the wasteland of a planet we call home, a group of survivors tend to each other's needs in their world forever changed. Their survival and leadership skills are tested by the elements that nature throws at them. From the undead to the living. Bloody images and character death(s). Reader's discretion is strongly advised. "We've all lost someone."
1. Gone Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own P.O.M.  
This is a animal-based world, there are no humans. It's a little different for this occasion.  
Episodes will be at least 3 to 4 chapters each.  
Hope you enjoy.  
Blah, Blah, Blah.

Prologue

The door opens, reveling a flat-headed bird. The sun was illuminating over the distant forest. The flightless bird waddles down the steps and onto the sidewalk stained with a familiar crimson. The rotten smell coated his lungs. The smell was strong enough, he could taste it. The door closes behind him. He steps into the sky sundry pinks and purples. He grabs the gallon of gasoline and walks towards the field.

The penguin places the gallon on a wooden table and reaches for a branch with cloth attached to it at the end. He pours the gasoline on the cloth carefully. He didn't want this stuff on him. He puts the gallon of gasoline back in the table and takes out a match out of his jacket's pocket. He quickly strikes the branch with the match igniting it. He then ignites the cloth and puts out the match. He walks over to an area of the field.

Dozens of dead bodies were stacked on top of each other. He carefully places the branch on the bodies and starts the fire to burn the corpses. He walks to the other one. Ignites that one. The other. He then throws the branch onto the remaining dozen.

He walks over to a truck. He couldn't stand the atrocious smell. He grabs the corpse and places her in the trunk. He was sweating uncontrollably. He sat down and wiped his forehead. He placed his face into his flippers.

"God help us." Skipper whispered to himself.

He looks up. Revealing dozens more dead bodies. Intestines flooding out of abdomens telling a story of these people. Eyes dangle from their sockets. Faces almost revealing skull tissue. Dozens upon dozens of rotting corpses.

He cocked his head. There he saw three graves. Each had a pair of daisies.

The Dead

Season 1

Gone

The day started like any other day. Animals leave their homes to go to work or take their children to school. In the Big Apple, the final pieces are being attached to the tower that symbolizes freedom in America.

We find Skipper flipping an awkward shaped pancake. Skipper frowned.

"Need help with that?" Marlene asked.

"No, no. I got it... I think." said Skipper, placing the flapjack on a plate. He looks at it strangely. He puts down the spatula and grabs the syrup from the fridge.

"Here you go." Skipper passes the plate to Marlene.  
"Well aren't you polite? Do you do this to all your neighbors?" Marlene asks, taking a sip from her mug.

"Sometimes, but hey, if you want I can take it back?" Skipper says slowly reacting for the plate. Marlene quickly moves it from his reach.

"That won't be necessary." Marlene smiles.

"Well alright then." Skipper chuckles.

She puts down the mug and picks up the newspaper on the table. The front page was swallowed by stories discussing about the upcoming winter. The title read 'Lowest Temperatures of the Century Expected'. Below was an image of a small town blanketed by snow. She puts the paper down. The wind outside was picking up. She turns to look out the window. The trees swayed violently. "Hey, when are your men getting here?" Marlene asks turning to Skipper.

"Depends. Why?"

"It's getting pretty bad out there."

"C'mon, these guys will be fine. A little wind won't hurt anyone." Skipper said.

"Shouldn't you guys, you know, find out why it's going to be freezing later on?" Marlene asks.

"Marlene, it gets like this every year. The media is just getting in your head. Besides, Private should be heading over by now." Skipper walks over to a cupboard and grabs a mug. He places the mug in the coffee maker and rested his back on the counter - crossing his flippers. He looks over to Marlene who was on the newspaper again. Skipper sighed. He walks over to her. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. The media is getting to you. That's what they do. They find something, they don't even do research on, make up some stuff and then blame it on the government or scientists. Don't get yourself worked up over nothing." He crosses his flippers raising a brow.

"Are you sure?" Marlene asks.

"I'm pretty sure."

"But what if-"

Skipper sighs, shaking his head. "I'm joking." Marlene said.

They were interrupted when the front door's doorknob raddled. It unlocked and the door opened revealing a young being. Private puts the keys on the window sill and turns to see the two others in the house. "Oh dear, I didn't expect you guys to still be here." Private said.

"Hi, Private." Marlene greets him.

"Hi, Marlene. Shouldn't you be somewhere?" Private asks.

"What? You don't want me here?"

"No it's not that. I just thought that you were working."

"How did you even get here? Kowalski gave you a lift?" Skipper asked.

"No, I took a cab. I really should have gone with Kowalski when he was on patrol I guess. Well, silly me." Private said rubbing his head.

"Well, what do you need young Private?" Skipper asked raising a brow.

"I left some paper work on my desk." Private answered while pressing his flippers together. "And maybe my 'talkie. It's a mess over there. Why aren't you over?" Private asked.

"A mess? Why is that?" Skipper asks. He could already imagine the chaos happening over there. They needed him over. They can't do their job all by themselves.

"They're saying that there's riots over at Albany. We can't get trough and the news is not very helpful." Private answered.

"I should be over there. It was stupid of me not to attend." Skipper said turning to turn off the coffee maker, but realized that it was still pouring the dark liquid. "Maybe until this thing finishes." Skipper said.

"I wonder what's going on over there. I hope it's not really riots." Marlene said nervously. She was worried of course. But, she did think of what Skipper told her. The media. That helped her not to think of it as much.

"I don't think it is. Maybe just a mixup of some sort. The media does tend to confuse things when not much is released." Skipper said. "The papers are probably on my desk Private, check there. If they're not, then Rico probably has them." Skipper informed the young soldier.

"I'll go, then we'll go meet up with K'walski. He's probably downtown." Private said running to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. Skipper opened a drawer that was filled with old receipts and business cards. The drawer that practically everyone has in their kitchens. He grabbed a pen and a crumpled receipt. He held the paper with one flipper while he pulled the cap off the pen with his beak and started writing something.  
The coffee maker finally stopped grunting and the last drops of the bitter liquid fell into the almost overflowed mug. He picked to mug carefully and blew on it to cool the hot liquid. Or to get the steam away from blowing into his face.

Private waddled down to shady corridor. As he walked, turned it his left and looked at the unfinished painted wall. It's been a long time since they ever got started. So long that he couldn't even remember what color they were painting with. It was either starting to turn a dark blue. Or ending in white. Most of the house was white but that doesn't mean that the house was originally that color. Or was it? He couldn't put his flipper on it. "Did you find them yet?" Skipper's voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Still looking." Private responded not moving his eyes off the wall. He liked the dark blue better, he would have to decide which color paint he should buy later. He took one last look at the strokes on the wall and waddled to the office space that they had.

He opened the door revealing what was inside. Piles and piles of papers on the tiled floor. Pens without caps on them were scattered all over the cold floor. He sighed. Cleaning this place hadn't crossed their minds. It was never thought of as an actual room. Just a work area. There were four wooden desks in each corner on the room. Cardboard boxes full of folders and documents. They were just about to the rim. When they worked in here, they didn't really talked to each other. Just come in, get your files or finish your days worth of paper work, suffer from the headaches, and get out. He had not really stopped and really gave this place some thought. Except from the large headaches he would get from this room. Just the sight of place made his head throb.

He waddles the Skipper's desk. The top was covered by packages of pens and papers. A blue striped box was placed on the top left corner of his desk. He looks inside to see if the papers are in there. Shuffling through the files and crumpled up notes. They never really kept things organized. So many thoughts were suddenly passing through him, the walls, this room, what's next? Him questioning what's in everything that he ate? Come to think of it, he doesn't really remember when was the last time he ate something. Let alone with his friends. He just tried to shut off everything and keep his focus on his task.

After about a few minutes of searching, he found the file he was looking for. He opens the file to make sure. The date, the location, the offense, it was the file. Now for that walkie-talkie.

He puts the file under his pit when something catches his attention with his peripheral vision. He takes a closer look. Inside the striped box, laid and open file. Some of the pages had slid out of the file, fusing with the other papers. Thankfully the sheets had slid in a pattern making it easy to identify which ones belonged in the file. Private places the file down on the desk.

He sees a picture of a young girl. "Missing" was typed underneath the photo. The girl was about 12 years of age. Her name was "Kallie Leeds". She went missing at a late afternoon when her mother said she did not return home. The sad truth, Kallie was a runaway. She would sell herself to grown men. Just the thought of it caused his stomach churn. Sick. The case turned from a simple girl going missing to a massive deal. A serial killer.

He closes the file not wanting to remember the memories of that case. The atmosphere was choking and evil. Pure evil. "He would go for the little ones" they said. "The ones that would go without a care in the world. But with this specific girl, he messed with the wrong one. She was not the only one. About a dozen more.

He sighs. Skipper's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hey Private! Rico's gonna need the boxes near his desk! The office needs them!"

"On it!" Private answers. He takes the file from the desk and walks towards the stack of old cardboard boxes.

Skipper grabs his keys as he opens the front door. Marlene follows putting on her jacket. Private follows out with the boxes.

"We'll be back in a jiffy Marlene. Hopefully." Private managed to say to Marlene carrying the boxes. Skipper got the trunk to open. He noticed the struggling Private slowly walking towards him. The stack of boxes were taller than him.

"Let me help you with that." Skipper said while he grabbed two boxes from Private's shaking flippers. Private lets out a breath from the heavy weight lifted from his flippers. Skipper places the boxes into the trunk. Private shoves the remaining boxes in the available space. Thankfully, they all fit inside. Skipper closes the trunk. The car gives a little bounce from the impact of the hood.

They climb into Skipper's black Honda. Marlene walks outside and waves goodbye as they drive off. The engine turns over and Skipper shifted the gear to reverse. He steps on the gas as they slowly made their way out of the driveway. They were on the street and Skipper shifted the gear to drive. The civic went off.

Marlene walked down the sidewalk to her house down the road as she crossed her arms. The wind was a bit slower than before. She looked at the lawns of the houses in her neighborhood. Full of a variety of different colored leaves. Piled up here and there. Shades of red and orange in between piles. Purples and greens if she was lucky.

The trees surrounding the neighborhood had a small quantities of leaves on them. They were loosing them faster with the wind. The leaves would blow with the wind and they would end up on lawns, giving the owners more trouble. The road was not speared though.

The sun was finally shining at its brightest. Its rays warming everything it touched, but it wouldn't help. The winds were still chilling. The air was biting at her. Yet the temperature said other wise. It felt that if she left one of her paws out for too long, the skin underneath her fur would almost go numb. Her fur did help though. If it weren't for her coat, she might of just go through frostbite.

But, the colors of nature were trying to take her mind off of the cold. It almost worked. But the pyrexia of nature was taking over.


	2. Gone Part 2

This gets a little messy. Just a little...

The car zipped passed the brightly colored houses that stand. Each one had two floors. These houses weren't really cheap. These were good, stable homes to defend what is inside. A hurricane would get a few good blows but they would still stand strong. Not that a hurricane is something to worry about. But, there is still Sandy to think about. Parts of the neighborhood were still not repaired. Some parts of the houses had paint missing or had started peel from the wood.

You could tell which power lines were replaced. Patches of new wiring here and there. How could you tell? The tint of the color. The new ones were a deep black. Shiny too. The old ones were dirty. They looked like a grayish color. It would have been easier and faster to just replace the whole length instead of taking a month and a half to try and wire the new cables to the old ones. Though the new one slightly thinner than the old ones so there's that also.

Even though the hurricane was a category two, it did a whole lot of damage. Once martial law was declared in the city, the penguins did not even dare to leave the city. They could still work to keep balance in New York, but once the military rolled in, they had most of their power taken.

They were closing in on the Brooklyn Bridge. Out of the suburbs and nearing the city. The trees changing their green hues to the bright reds and oranges. The street was full of stray leaves. Shriveled up and delicate. Scattering across the road with the direction of the wind.

Nearing the bridge, the city's skyline emerges from the treetops. Their leaves flying out from their branches. The sun shimmering from the glass panes. The New World Trade Center off in the distance, looking mighty and welcoming. They had to be. They do represent the definition of freedom to the country.

As they ride onto the bridge, they could now clearly hear the sounds of New York. Sirens here and there, the honks let out by passing vehicles. Private glances through the window. The sight of the river always made him happy. Though the river was full of weird stuff from fecal matter to industrial chemicals. Heck, you probably identify most of the element on the periodic table by taking just a small sample of the greenish water. The sight of the sun reflecting from the streaks of water was mesmerizing. He turns slightly to his left to see the buildings.

Skyscrapers. Tall, the amazing architecture. The different shade of colors that the glass panes gave off were aesthetic. With the sunlight reflecting off of the panes just made it even better. He could stare at the city skyline for hours, but, they were already approaching the end of the bridge.

Entering the city, your worst enemies are traffic signals. From five minutes on red, to green lasting no more than fifteen seconds. And in some parts of the city, it's the opposite. The team probably wasted most of their lives waiting in the streets than doing something productive.  
Just sitting waiting in the car and listening to the sounds of conversations overlapping each other, the endless beeping from taxis, and helicopter blades roaring over the constant yells of "Taxi!".

Skipper leaned over the wheel of the car and looked up to the sky. A helicopter just passed through the street they were at. It seemed to be headed north. Inland. "What's a helicopter doing in the heart of New York?" Skipper questioned aloud.

"There's a helicopter? Where?" Private asked.

The tail was swallowed by the Empire State Building. The sound of the blades was faint. Police sirens started to go off in the distance. It looked like nobody even cared. Everyone was just minding their own business. Skipper quickly turned on the radio.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." the anchorman's voice boomed out of the speakers. "It is seventy-nine degrees Fahrenheit here in New York, it is a lovely Monday evening we have here today. First up, coming in from Albany, New York, an update from the reported riots going on in the city, we have Drake Hamilton here with us, Drake can you hear me?" the anchorman waited a few seconds. "Drake? Are you still with us?" the anchorman asked again. Nothing. "Hmm. It appears we have lost Drake. Maybe got a little mix-up here in the station.

The light flashed green. Skipper didn't hesitate to step on the gas pedal. "Well, since Drake isn't picking up, we'll just cover for him. Scott?" the reporter said.

"Thank you, Chuck. Now, coming from Albany, the riots seem to intensify since the military has been involved. We've been getting reports from all over the east coast of the same thing. From Boston, to Miami." Scott continued. "We're getting reports here on CNN that New York has been placed under martial law for the upcoming weeks." Skipper looked at the radio, mouthing the word what.

"The same goes for Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Houston. We advise people to stay in their homes and lock their doors if necessary. We will keep you all updated with what the station gives us. This will on-" Scott was cut off by the other anchorman.

"I'm sorry Scott but we conformation from Albany that there was a huge explosion from city hall and they are now evacuating the city as we speak." the anchorman's voice seemed a little shaky. This got both of them worried.

"Did he just say an explosion?" Private asked a little frightened. In the background you could hear rustling and people talking.

"This may be an act of terror. Surprisingly, the entire state has declared a state of emergency." he continued.

The police sirens kept doubling. It seeming like they were swarmed with police cars. Skipper got out of traffic and parked near the MetLife building. The police radio suddenly exploded with officer's voices. "Needing back up here in Wall Street." "We need back up over here!" and the one that frightened both penguins, "Officers down! I repeat! Officers down!"

"What do they mean officers down?" Private asked anxiously.

Skipper's face was flushed. His men was out there, getting injured. Under his watch. He felt ashamed of himself. He felt like he wasn't fit to be a leader. But he is. And as a leader, he does what ever it takes to save is men. He took a shortcut to Wall Street. The traffic was not helping in any way. He wanted to throw every car out of the way to reach his fellow officers in need.

When the duo made a left on the intersection, all of a sudden, animals began to rush out of the area. Screaming of different species left the throats of many. People jumped over cars to safety.

"What the hell were they running from?" Skipper asked sharply. Private grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Do we have eyes on the sky?" Private commanded over the static.

"Not yet, but we're working on it. The city is in chaos right now, so we don't know if we can." A familiar male voice exited from the speaker.

"K'walski? Is that you?" Private asked confused.

"Private? Private! Where are you? Is Skipper with you? Are you anywhere out of Manhattan?" Kowalski asked in fear.

"What do you mean?" Private asked clutching the handheld transceiver.

Animals were running over each other now. Blood began to stain the sidewalks. A car raced by the penguin's car. It was like it was about to travel through time. An animals began to run through the streets. The car ran an animal in the abdomen. The dog's fur was tainted with it's own blood. The crimson splatter on the windshield.

"No!" Skipper yelled. Private's peak dropped.

The dog fell under the car's tire, crushing it's chest. The car swerved. Smashing into more innocent animals before crashing into a store. The glass pane shattered and covered the animals around it with large shards of glass. Jamming themselves into flesh and slashing windpipes.

The unsuspecting animals collapsed. Pain was embracing them. Giving them a long lasting hug. Some were holding their throats to help the blood from gushing out of their jugulars. They either died from blood loss or drowned in their own blood and plasma.

"We have one of our news helicopter over right now, Tom? Can you tell us what you see?" the Chuck asked.

"Well Chuck, what we can see is complete utter chaos across the streets. Thousands and thousands of animals are fleeing for safety. It seems that some are...chasing others? God, this is horrific. It's like something out of a science fiction movie!" Tom finished on the verge of crying.

"We are getting the same over at the station. Um, Tom, what city are you over? Are you at Albany? Where are you right now?" Chuck asked shuffling a few papers.

They tried to make another left without running over someone. The amount of screaming in the area was terrifying. These kinds of screams sounded like a cry. A cry for their lives that are about to end. Why were they running from? A wave crashing into the island? No that can't be. These people were running from Central Park. The only wave coming from that direction were animals.

A body of a chimpanzee fell right onto a parked car. The glass windows exploded from each side. The car's roof dented in. The sound of it was atrocious. That was the most horrifying and unnerving sound that they have ever heard in their lives. The sound of a soul ending onto a car. The sound the chimpanzee made Skipper's heart skip a beat. The car stopped. They both stared at the motionless ape.

The chimp started twitching hysterically. The chimp's eyes rolled to back of it's head. The veins in his eyes swelled. Skipper gasped at the horrifying sight. The veins suddenly began to burst. Blood streamed down the chimpanzee' face. Another crash broke through the shrieks and the screeches of tires. They turned to see another animal. A cat. It looked very young. It too twitched awkwardly. The chimpanzee got up. It breathed in the dark air. It made a sound that they both never heard before. That was not the chimpanzee, it was something else.

The chimp still had minor spasms. It turned and roared. It's teeth curving out from its mouth. It leaped onto a lemur. The lemur yelled. The ape opened its mouth wide and dug into the poor lemur's neck. The chimp slammed its jaws together and rapidly moved his head back. The lemur's flesh stretched as tendons and muscle began to snap and rip apart. Blood gushed from the lemur's neck, pouring onto the concrete. Its fur was soaked in blood as the lemur wailed in pain.

Skipper eyes widened and stomped on the pedal. The car jerked forward and hightailed it out of there. Private yelled as the images of the lemur were still in his mind. Skipper looked up and saw that more animals were leaping from skyscrapers. The animals would land on different animals and began its feast, tearing into necks and chests.

Some missed their target and just splattered all over the floor. Their bodies became just a pile of mush. Bones dislocating and fracturing. Blood and organs sliding onto the streets. Blanketing anyone near by with blood and tissue.

They were getting closer to Central Park. The screams of shear terror slowly turned into growls and croaks. Unexplainable sounds coming out of the mouths of animals.

"Well Chuck, I'm looking over New York City." Tom answered.

Skipper choked. His heart was racing. The car came to a halt. Animals were running at full speed. The shrikes and the sounds of bodies slamming and splattering on the hard pavement. His heart skipped as the first wave of the undead came racing towards him and Private.


	3. Gone Part 3

The helicopter flew over Central Park. Thousands of little dots racing through the park and onto the streets. The wave was moving in just one direction. South. The park was infested with creatures. The screams turned into demonic roars. Tom turned to his left to see New Jersey crawling with what ever these things were. It looked like if both states were being exterminated. He scooted back. It felt as if these demonic beings could reach their arms and pull him out of the only thing keeping him safe.

Trees were smothered with blood. The sun was shining through the cracks and crevasses from the tree branches. A flood of them were destroying and eating anything in their reach. An infected animal leaped onto his prey. He opened his jaws wide and dug its teeth into the otter's abdomen. The otter yelled in pain as blood quickly exited the wound coating her fur and stained the grass. The undead animal tore out a chunk of the mammal's flesh, revealing her entrails. Another joined and grabbed her legs. The animal pulled. She screamed in agony as her waist was being slowly torn from the rest of her body. A final tug and her entrails fell from her abdomen. She gave her last breath as the two animals began digging their arms into her, reaching and ripping out vital organs. Her blood bathed the three animals.

Another dug its teeth into a penguin's back, snapping its spine, quickly killing it.

Skipper let go of the steering wheel noticing that he was making a dent in the plastic. The outline of his flippers were permanently marked on the steering wheel. He felt his heart pumping at a pace he never thought could be possible. He thought of it as fear. But this felt like a different kind of fear. Nothing he has ever gone through in his life. A new type of fear. He froze in place. Unable to move. He felt his spine stiffen. He couldn't move an inch. Each second felt like years. His mind blocked out the new sounds of his beloved city.

The threat was racing towards them at unbelievable speeds. An animal would leap onto its prey and would just tear right into him or her. Their blood would squirt on the shaking ground with the rhythm of the heart pumping. Their last breath would signal the predator to feast on a new.

Adrenaline was pumping through him as he saw strangers being eaten alive. He finally broke through his trance and grabbed his revolver. "Get out of the car now!" Skipper ordered Private. The young one uncovered his eyes and was greeted with horrifying images. The whimpered as get opened the car door and exited. Skipper slammed the door close. He checked his gun for bullets. There were six. The gun's hammer clicked. "Come on!" Skipper yelled at Private. Private did not hesitate. He pushed himself forward and began running as fast as his little legs could carrie him. Skipper followed as the wave of the undead was about a few yards away.

The roaring and screeching sounds echoed throughout the city. It was like the whole city came to life. The undead fell as they latched onto their prey. The screams and the agonizing yelps of the ones who's hearts were still beating were mixing with the roars and groans of the undead.

The helicopter was still filming the horrifying events taking place on the streets of Manhattan. "Tom, we are being told that the station is being evacuated, we hope to see you all soon after this dies down. God bless you al-" Chuck's voice was interrupted by the screams of terror. The signal cut off when a loud roar was heard and Chuck's mouth letting out gurgling sounds.

"Oh, God." Tom said as the undead began to leap and grabbed hold of the helicopter. Instead of following the screams and gunshots down below, they settled in for the helicopter passing over them. The plane whipped around, trying to shake off the creatures. Tom grabbed on a net as tight as he could.

"Mayday! Mayday! Chopper forty-five is going down! I repeat! Chopper for-agh!" The pilot's throat was slashed. Blood spurted on the windshield as the chopper as falling from the sky.

"Please, God! I don't want to die! I don't want to!" Tom cried out between sobs. The undead began to enter the chopper and attacked on anyone who was inside.

Skipper took a deep breath. "They're not animals. They're not animals!" Skipper told himself. He pointed his revolver and fired. The bullet went through the bird's back as it exited through his chest. It collapsed with a thud. He looked at Private who's face turned pale. The creature stood up and began chasing its food again. Skipper's peak dropped. He fired again. The bullet pierced through its lung. Nothing. "What the-?" Skipper said in a fearful tone.

An animal laid on the floor with its face shredded. Its throat eaten. It started to twitch. Its limbs bending in unnerving ways. Its eyes rolled back as it roared. It stood up. Still having spasms throughout its body. Its eyes slowly rolled back. From a dark green to a soulless gaze. It turned as he heard the sound of a gun firing. It locked on the the penguin, it wheezed as it opened its mouth to let out a cry. The creature took a step forward and stiffened. It roared again. It moved his left leg and began going at a faster pace. It started to run. The penguin fired another shot. It attracted many others turning from dead, to running dead.

The dog leaped forward. Skipper turned to see its fangs exposed. He lifted his gun and fired but it shot through its abdomen. They both fell. Skipper slammed into the ground. The dog roared at his face. It opened its jaws as a bullet went through his mouth. Severing the spinal cord. The lifeless creature fell to the side. His blood dripping from his mouth and out of the bullet hole. Skipper groaned as stood he stood up. He looked at Private who had is gun pointed at the motionless dog.

Private looked up at his leader. "Hey.." Skipper started.

The streets were full of animals trying to out run their fate. Cars were abandoned with their doors wide open. Shopping bags full of luxuries, were left alone on the sidewalks and streets. Animals and twitching creatures flooded the streets. From all the chaos, a new sound had appeared. It was getting louder, and was getting more choppy. All of a sudden more zombified beings fell from the sky, landing on animals and quickly began tearing into their new target. The ground began to get darker. A lemur tripped over a twitching corpse, and fell face first into the pavement. Pain conquered his face as it spread throughout his head. Drops of his blood dripped from his nose as he coughed out blood.

He looks up to see a helicopter coming down on him. He braces for the impact as a undead being took a bite at his arm. He shrieked in pain, only to be smothered by metal. His neck snapped as well as his spine in many ares. His ribs dug into his heart and lungs, piercing his stomach also. Many other animals alive or undead were crushed by the helicopter. The blades still spinning, sliced straight through people's heads and torsos.

Skipper turned to see the chopper in time. He grabs Private and pulls him down away from the spinning blades. The sounds of people grunting and collapsing burned into their minds as well as the images. A group of zombies that had locked on to both of them had their bodies severed in half. They fell as their intestines slipped out of their abdomen. The people who were alive but had been either decapitated of sliced in two laid on the street in their own pools of blood. Their brain still trying to figure out where is the other half of them selves.

Private looks up to see blood splattered all over the buildings and streets. Skipper pulled out his revolver and shot a zombie in the head. The blades slowed as the helicopter quickly caught on fire. "Follow me." Skipper told the quivering penguin. He stood up and saw the smoke and flames bursting out of the blades and the front of the chopper. "Get up now! We got to go!" Skipper commanded as he helped Private stand up.

The smoke had reached where they were. Every breath coated their lungs with the toxic gas. With the smoke, they ran from the scene coughing and gagging. The chopper exploded. Sending all of the equipment flying into the air or injecting shrapnel into near by animals. The blast set many animal's fur on fire. The affected animals screamed in agony as the flames bore deeper into their flesh, melting internal organs. Pieces that were on fire were sent flying through the air and caught surrounding building on fire

The explosion also sent corpses flying across the street. Smashing into windows and splattering into brick walls.

Private fell from the shockwave of the blast. The blast knocked him off his feet. He landed on the hard ground. Dazed and breathing heavily, Skipper pulled him up. From the same street the first sounds of heavy machinery boomed throughout the hazed area. The military began rolling through.


	4. Gone Finale

The tanks, the heavy machinery, pretty much every thing the U.S. can pay to protect. A soldier pulled on the trigger releasing loud blasts of seven inch bullets piercing skulls and torsos. Skipper helped Private to get on the other with without lead ripping through their bodies. The sounds of large guns being fired boomed throughout the northeastern part of the city. Undead carcasses collapsing to the ground with about twenty bullet holes scattered all over their flesh. Fracturing bones and ripping apart tissue. Puncturing organs that stopped working just minutes ago.

A soldier ran towards both of them, raising his gun. "Was he bit?!" he barked over the countless bullet ricochet. He pointed what appeared to be a M16A2.

"No! He wasn't! What's going on?!" Skipper yelled. Private was coming back from his moment of nausea. He saw the shear amount of animals running towards them. The big guys were able to handle them. But not for long.

The young soldier dropped his weapon. "You need to get out of New York! Head west towards the Plains! There should be a base just about ninety miles from here! If you are able to exit the city, that is where you and your friend should go!" the soldier turned and fired his gun. Lead escaping the barrel and impacting through skulls. "And stay away from the cities!" the soldier yelled.

"Come on! We have to find the others!" Skipper informed the awed penguin.

He pulled out his revolver and pulled the trigger. Ending the bird's life. He ran up the steps with Private following not to far behind. A few officers were still inside as they entered. "Rico? Kowalski? Are you here?!" Skipper called out. Officers grabbed their guns and quickly ran out the doors.

A uniformed owl ran out from a pair of closed doors. His face enlightened when he saw the two penguins. "Oh, thank God, you guys are okay!" he said relived.

"Stet, do you know where Kowalski is? We can't find him and he's not picking up his radio." Private asked. Before answering, a familiar figure walked out of the same doors with a scar on his beak.

"Rico! I'm so glad you're okay!" Skipper sighed. The young penguin ran and gave the weapons expert a hug. A tear fell from his beak. Rico gave a confused look. He was glad his friends were still intact but this love-mush was making him a little sick.

"Have you seen Kowalski? He's not picking up." Skipper asked. The sound of roars and the blasts of guns still conquered the streets. Rico shook his head.

"He was probably on his shift when the news struck. Downtown maybe?" Private said scratching his head.

A car pulled up on the driveway. Skipper and Rico pulled out their guns and pointed at the entrance. A tall penguin and a lemur came throughout the door. Both had pistols in their hands and flippers.

"Mother of... I'm really glad you all made it." Kowalski said placing his gun back in his holster. The lemur did the same.

"Kowalski, why weren't you picking up? You had us worried sick." Skipper asked.

"It broke on the way here. We were swarmed with what ever science wants to call it. I had to use Ray's here. We've been trying here for anything but we haven't received anything. I tried to reach you but you wouldn't pick up." Kowalski said. A massive explosion was heard. The group turned and backed away from the entrance. A low mechanical sound followed. It sounded like it was getting closer. Skipper pulled out his revolver. The others did as well. Stet backed up. The sound grew louder as a second explosion shook the H.Q. The first parts of a tank peeped through the side of the glass doors. Soldiers were still shooting at the unknown.

"We need to get out of here. Out of the city, away from the coast." Skipper said, lowering his weapon.

"You don't say?" The lemur said. "What do you suggest?" The lemur said.

Skipper turned and faced him. The lemur had bright green eyes. He looked like he was a bit on the muscular side. He seemed to be no taller than Kowalski. "Ray, is it?" He nodded. "We find a vehicle, we go back to our neighborhood and we find Marlene." Skipper said, keeping an eye on the doors. Hoping that a dead carcass wouldn't burst through the glass doors.

"It would be faster if we went through downtown Manhattan. They seemed to have come from the north. No point of going around the entire city." Kowalski suggested.

"He's right, and if we are going back to the suburbs, I have to get my wife. She's probably worried sick about me. I know I am." Stet said.

"You want to go into a highly populated area? I don't think we should go. We're good the way we are. There's no need to endanger everyone." Ray said. "I say, we head east. Away from the populated areas, or at least far inland as possible." Ray said.

"You heard Stet, we can't just leave. We have loved ones out there. As long as we stay close, and don't do anything stupid, we won't be endangering anybody. You understand?" Skipper turned to the lemur. Ray sighed.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. Where is this area?" Ray asked.

"Not far. We'll have to cross the bridge." Skipper said. "We need to take some amo just incase. Private?"

"Already on it." Private said.

The group stepped out the H.Q. The sounds of guns blasting and the roars of the unknown rocked the city now. The screams were scarce but still lingered. As they hurried down the steps, a few infected came across them. One roared and the three ran towards the group. Ray pulled out his pistol and fired. All head shots. Skipper turned to see the soldier he and Private had encountered. He had been bitten on the neck and lower body.

The roars of jet fighter's engines boomed. They looked up to see them in 'V' formation. "Let's move." Skipper commanded. The group climbed in the police car. Skipper turned the keys to start the car.

They passed by many dead and undead bodies during their drive. Many were mangled and or, completely torn apart. Entrails and ammunition were scattered everywhere. They passed by many buildings already destroyed and on fire. Kowalski felt his stomach churn. The sight of the dead was eating at him. They were nearing the Brooklyn bridge. Which they can tell by all the traffic and people running.

"Look!" Private pointed at the line of jet fighters.

"Tiger 1, you have a go." a voice came though the pilot's head piece.

"Roger that. Tiger 2, ready that missile." the pilot said.

The two jet fighters flew towards the city, nearing the Williamsburg bridge. The pilot of the first jet fighter pressed a button, activating the machine guns on both wings. He flew low. Way too low. He pressed a red button on the controller. The guns began to spin and released their bullets. The jet flew throughout the bridge, shooting at the people and cars driving there. An army of the undead were running towards the sounds of the guns and screams of animals.

The bullets pierced though chests and skulls. Puncturing lungs, hearts, livers, and brains. Each falling hard on the pavement. The bullets fired though cars and killing their drivers. Thus spinning the active cars into others or driving off the bridge and into the East River. The bullets would hit the special parts of some cars. Causing them to explode. Frying everyone inside.

The gang gasped at the sight of the army firing at civilians. It was a massacre. The bullets began piercing through the dead. Basically chopping them into big pieces. The pilot stopped firing and quickly exited the area. The second came through. The pilot flipped a switch. He pressed the button which deployed a missile. The missile launched from the wing and was closing in on the bridge. The missile made contact with the bridge and ignited. Setting anyone still alive, or undead, a blaze. The sound of concrete crumbling and the sharp snaps of wires echoed. The car started to shake.

The middle of the bridge collapsed. Causing the rest of the bridge to fall apart. Scattered with bullet holes and dead bodies, the bridge finally collapsed, leaving nothing but dust and debris flying. The group was still shocked at the event that took place.

Then, the sounds of more jets boomed. Skipper and the others looked ahead. Four jets were flying towards them. "Holy shit." Ray said.

Skipper stepped on the gas pedal. The car flied forward. The crowd of people started to panic and zipped through the bridge. Others ran as fast as they could. Their hearts pounding and adrenaline kicking in.

The first jet reached Manhattan Bridge and began firing. Murdering people and the streets. The second one followed and fired the missile. Exploding on the side of the bridge.

"Go, go, go! Faster! They're catching up!" Private yelled. The third jet released it's guns. The pilot fired.

"Hold on to something!" Skipper said and started swerving the car. The bullets ricocheted all over the car. A bullet collided with the windshield.

"Shit!" Ray yelled. The sounds of cars exploding and driving off the sides were heard. A second bullet smashed the windshield into pieces. Coating them in glass. Skipper covered his eyes but remained his focus on the road. The jet finally passed them but the fourth jet was approaching. They were still years away from the clear. The jet detached the missile and fired. Skipper braced for impact. The missile rocketed over their heads and impacted the pavement. Exploding on contact and crumbling the gravel. Wires snapped and the iconic bridge began to fall.

The ground shook violently as the drove. Skipper looked at the mirror and saw the explosion behind them. Animals were set ablaze. Skipper was horrified. So were the others. They made it in time before the last of the bridge collapsed. They finally made it out of the city. They all looked at each other. All breathing heavily. They leave behind their beloved city. The only thing that matters now is what lies ahead.

End of episode one.

Outro song: Dead Reckoning by: Clint Mansell

The Dead

In loving memory of...

This dog.  
Crash guy.  
Glass surprise people.  
This chimp.  
That cat.  
Zombie jumpers.  
This otter.  
That penguin.  
Chuck Charles.  
Scott Elmore.  
Tom Cathy.  
That lemur.  
Pilot #1.  
Pilot #2.  
Cameraman.  
This other dog.  
Private's first zombie kill.  
Skipper's first zombie kill.  
This zombie.  
That other zombie.  
Soldier.  
Bride people.  
New York City.

This will be at the end of every episode.

Next Episode: Inferno

Hope will be posted Feb. 2nd :)


	5. Inferno Part 1

Previously on: The Dead

After finding the city of New York on the line, Skipper finds his friends in all the chaos. As the group leaves the city of New York in ruins, the team questions their future. Meanwhile, the undead take entire cities whole around the world.

_ Prologue_

The smoke devoured everything in its path. Whole buildings. Living beings. Everything. The army swept in for an evacuation mission, but they did not know that more than half the city was swallowed by the walking dead.

"We keep moving!" a camouflaged soldier ordered.

Bullets hit corpses in waves. So did the undead. They kept coming. About two-thirds of the city's population was trapped inside to city. "We are not loosing Dallas! We stay put!" the soldier yelled.

A German Shepard ran from an apartment complex. The complex was three  
stories high. The red-orange rays of the sunset reaped everything it touched. A line of palm trees stood tall to greet people. Now, they were wilting. Dying. Like everything else around them.

A pistol in one paw and a small pup in the other. "C'mon! We need to keep moving sweetie." the dog told the little one. He pointed the gun and pulled the trigger. Lead pierced the bear's forehead, collapsing.

He looks down at his daughter, her arm was chewed on. Blood dripped from the wound, revealing her bone. "You're fine. You're going to just fine.." a tear ran down the Shepard's face.

"Segen! Wait! Please wait up!" a female German Shepard yelled at Segen. A group of the undead quickly swarmed the woman. She screamed as their teeth were about to inject themselves into her. A bullet entered one of the zombie's head. Two more shots were blasted from Segen's pistol. The woman was breathing heavily.

"Take my hand Janet. We need to see a doctor! We can fix our daughter! She'll be fine! Everything's going to be back to normal. You'll see!" Segen said, lifting Janet up to her hind legs.

The pup fell as bullets passed by, killing everything in their path. Segen quickly turned to see his daughter motionless on the parking space. "No! Jesse!" he yelled as he ran towards his daughter. He grabbed a hold of her and lifted her up. "Jesse? Jesse?! Can you hear me baby?" Segen's voice cracked. Nothing. The pup laid lifeless and cold in his arms. Streams of tears ran down his muzzle.

He collapsed on the floor. He sobbed hysterically. "No!" he managed to cry out between sobs. "Not my little girl.." he said.

Bullets flew in all directions. They tore into zombie's chests and skulls. The horde of zombies toppled the army. Sinking their teeth in what ever their mouths were closer at. The army collapsed. Jet fighters were still high in the sky. The city of Dallas was begging to fall.

Janet fell to the floor crying her eyes out. She was devastated. Her only child was taken from them at such an early age. Segen looked at his dead child. She began to have small spasms on her arm where she was bitten. He wailed as he pulled his pistol out. He raised it at her head, but, his arm felt heavy and fell. He couldn't do it. He couldn't shoot his out daughter.

"Please. I just want you to know, that we've always loved you. Please, just please, don't worry about us. Don't." He said and pulled the trigger. The bullet entered her skull and brain. Ending the twitching. Now she grew even colder. There was nothing left of her. Just the shell of what used to be his living child.

There was silence. Except for the bullets flying and the roars of many undead creatures. Dallas had fallen. He looked up. His expressions looked enraged. He carefully placed the pup on the floor and stood up.

"Janet. Let's move." he told her. The weeping dog tried to stand but her pain was too much for her. It made it impossible to move. But to just lay there and weep. Segen turned and grabbed her. He pulled her over his head. He carried her on his shoulder. He fired his pistol on the dead. He quickly ran away from the scene. His face still the same. He carried his wife as they left the city in ruins. The city belonged to the dead now.

The Dead

Season One

**Inferno**

The car hit the ground hard. Rocking everyone inside. The sounds of the bridge collapsing plagued the air. Cars and bodies sank deep underwater. Jets flew to the northern part of the city and dropped bombs on the area.

"What the hell are they doing? There are people still living inside!" Ray said with anger. Kowalski sat in the front seat. He looked at the mirror to his right. The waves of jets circling the city were bombing the perimeter of the megalopolis. His eyes grew. He looked back at the city. In ruins. Puffs of smoke billowed from the heavily populated urban island.

"They're quarantining the city." Kowalski said. Ray turned. He glared at the scientist. His glare soon turned into a worried look. The lemur looked back at the devastated city. The others tuned their attention to the tall penguin. Skipper gripped the steering wheel harder. A low growl left his beak.

"No freaking way.." the white furred lemur said. Shivers went up Private's spine. Rico stared at Kowalski in disbelieve. Skipper turned to the brainiac.

"Are you sure? You're not getting worked up? I mean do you rea-"

"Skipper." Kowalski interrupted. The leader frowned. "The city must have fallen or something. I can't even begin what those things were back there. The way they moved. Twitched. It was abnormal. No animal is capable of just...snapping and start attacking. There has to be a logical explanation for this." Kowalski's face began to reflect a red hue. Skipper's eyes widened. He was taken aback.

"I would have to investigate in my lab back at base, there I would need to began a series of tests on certain subjects. If only I can get close to them..." Kowalski continued. Skipper slowly stepped on the brake. The car halted.

"Kowalski...?" Skipper called. The red-orange light began to dance on the animals faces.

"Then I - we, would be able to see if we can identify what this thing is and be able to see if-" Skipper turned Kowalski's head forwards to the street they were on. He finally snapped out of his own thoughts and saw the horror in front of them. The houses. All were burning to the ground. Set a blaze. The fires reached a maximum of fifteen feet high. The flames engulfed the surrounding neighborhoods.

"Jesus Christ." Ray said under his breath. All the houses were infected by the raging inferno. It was getting warm just sitting in the car.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" Stet said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed out of the car. Ray reached to pull him back in but the owl was too far from his reach.

"Stet! Wait!" Ray called.

"Get out of the car. We bring him back along with Marlene. We don't now if she's still here." Skipper said refilling his revolver. "Just remember, the blaze is not the only threat out there. Be careful out there." he cocked his gun. "Let's try to make this quick." Skipper said. He stepped out of the car. The gravel was even warmed enough to a moderate temperature. The smoke blocked the sun. The only thing that let them see was the inferno.

The scene looked like it was straight out of a apocalyptic horror film. But this was real life. That scared Private by a long way. He walked away from the car with his shaking flipper holding his pistol vertical and near his heated face. He already started sweating from the blazing heat. Most of them were.

The screams of people filled the hot air. Roars peeked from the heavily polluted horizon. Rico took one last look at the city. It seemed as if it were blasted by a huge explosion. The smoke from the city mixed with the smoke from the searing houses surrounding New York. Creating some sort of a dome.

"Alright. Kowalski, Rico, and Ray. You three find Stet and his wife and bring them back over here. This place will soon be filled with those freaks." Skipper ordered. The three gathered together and began walking towards the direction the owl flew. "Hey." Skipper said. The three turned. "Be careful. You understand?" Skipper asked.

"Always." Kowalski answered.

Skipper nodded. "That leaves me and you Private. We'll find Marlene somewhere here." Skipper said as he started waddling.

"I just hope she didn't go back to the city. That would be awful." Private said a little shaky.

Reds and yellows mixed together to create these tall violent flames. Leaves set aflame reflected on both their eyes, turning their icy blue eyes into deeper, warmer shades of blue.

"I'm sure she didn't. If you here that there's unknown monsters roaming the streets of New York that eat other animals alive, and has made the military collapse in a matter in mere minutes, would you got and see? Of course not. I would rather pack what I can and move the hell out of here. Would it be hard? Yes. I mean, we've had many good times here and in the city, but, I would try and leave the city." Skipper said.

"What if either me or the others were inside that city if something happened? Would leave?" Private asked.

"Let me answer your question with a another question. Are you really asking me this question?" Skipper said.

"Well, if wild cannibals took over the streets, I sure would." Private said. The heat was making it a little hard to breath. They weren't really made for this type of environment.

"If either one of you guys were in the city and I was out here, I wouldn't hesitate to drag all of you out of the city. I wouldn't just go, I can't see that happening. That's why we need to find Marlene. She's part of this too you know?" Skipper said.

"What about Julien? Or Maurice or Mort?" Private asked.

Skipper stopped walking. He forgot all about them. "We'll try, but they are half way across the globe. I'm sure what ever this thing is, it didn't reach there. The just quarantined they're major leak. This thing can't just reach and plague everything in its path." Skipper said.

"What about Albany? I mean, the riots? Could that just have been a mistake?" Private said.

Skipper sighed. "I'm going to sound like Kowalski right now, I mean, every disease or what this is, has to have a starting point, am I right?" Skipper said.

"Do you think? I mean, the distress signals from Albany about riots boomed over the radio, then just suddenly, New York falls? Not to mention Chuck saying the thing hit many others too? Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, the list has to go on." Private said. Skipper looked at the young penguin. The flames made his face glow.

"If this disease had a starting point, say, New York, and we were all inside during the quarantine, don't we have what ever it is?" Private said nervously.

"I said I was going to sound like Kowalski, that doesn't mean I am. I know you have a lot of questions and heck, I certainly do. But look at it this way, if were did have this thing inside us, do you see anyone of us twitching?" Skipper asked the penguin.

Private hadn't thought of it. Snarls came from a burning house. They looked at each other and waddled towards the noise. The sound of the wood crackling dominated. The snarl was almost undetectable because of it.

"Stet? Where are you?" Ray called out.

"He's probably at his house, he did say that his wife was still here." Kowalski said. Rico stopped walking. His face grew long. He tapped Kowalski on the back.

"What is it?" the tall penguin asked. Rico pointed at the direction. He turned to see their house in flames. Kowalski's beak dropped. The house. Everything. Up in flames. Files, bedrooms, their shelter. All gone. When this is all over, they have nothing to come back to. His lab, everything. He felt is throat tighten. Rico turned to him with a sad face.

"You two see something?" Ray asked. Kowalski turned.

"No." Kowalski said under his breath. He looked down at the floor. A tear escaped his eye and ran down the length of his beak. "C'mon, we need to keep moving." he said while whipping his beak. Ray nodded.

The three started again. Kowalski took a last look but quickly turned back. "Don't look back. It'll just be harder in the long run." he said to himself.

"Well with that, I think I just found our little friend here." Ray said pointing at an owl walking towards a flaming house.

Skipper looked down at the critter. Its body was burned to a crisp. It was unrecognizable. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Damn." he murmured.

"Is that-?" Private asked. "No, it can't be."

"Private, this is her house. We can't-"

"No, this is not her." Private said. "We keep looking. Like you said, you wouldn't leave with out any of us." Private said.

"Fine, we keep looking." Skipper said. He looked at the moving creature. It groaned and moved its flaming arms towards him, trying to get a hold at the penguin. He raised his revolver. He stared at the undead being. It was croaking. The brain still wasn't destroyed. He pulled the trigger, ending another victim. The gunshot echoed throughout the neighborhood.

"Skippah? Private called.

The flat-headed bird lowed his gun. "I need moment." Skipper said. The young penguin turned and walked around.

What was he doing? Killing off anyone he could find? This isn't him. This isn't what he wanted. They are dead for sure, but, just pulling the trigger at a carcass? That's not natural. It's not normal. Then again, the dead walking and eating the living is abnormal by itself. Well, better get used to it until this all gets settled. How long could it take? A week? A month? Hopefully not an entire year. Hopefully the government can keep track and protect its citizens from what ever this is. Then again, they did just blow up the bridges leading into downtown New York.

"Skippah...look" Private said.

The flat head turned. There he saw two cars smashed into each other. From here it looked like the driver in the first car was thrown from the windshield and landed on a yard. To make matters worse, there was a zombie feasting on the dead animal. Private looked at Skipper. The flat-head nodded. He held his revolver close and began to move forward.

"Did you hear that?" Kowalski said. He turned to the direction of the gunshot.

"It was probably either Skipper or the little young one. Isn't he a little to young for this job?" Ray asked.

"No. Private might be going on to his teenage years. He is only fourteen. But, he can handle himself. Anyways, why just one bullet?" Kowalski asked with concern. He scanned through the houses. Maybe he could see them somewhere out there.

"Maybe they just found that girl Skipper's looking for." Ray said. Kowalski glared at the lemur. The white lemur didn't notice him.

"Now, quick the chitchat and let's get this guy." Ray said. Kowalski turned to Rico. He too had the same stare at the lemur.

Ray took a few steps and stopped. He raised his gun. Kowalski saw and ran towards the lemur. "What do you think you're doing?!" Kowalski said angrily.

Ray didn't move. He was still locked on to his target. Kowalski turned to the direction. "Oh, no." the tall penguin said.

Stet sat in front of a burning house. There laid a twitching owl.


End file.
